Caspian swiftly arranged for the damaged vehicle to be discreetly removed, simultaneously dispatching a replacement SUV to transport us.
Geoffrey, ever reliable, executed the plan flawlessly, driving us safely through the city.
The SUV glided through the sleeping city, its engine a low hum beneath the storm building inside the cabin. Aria sat stiffly beside Caspian, arms crossed tightly, eyes fixed on the blur of streetlights. She could feel him watching her—not subtly, not accidentally… deliberately.
Caspian didn't hide things. Not his power. Not his control. And definitely not the way he was studying her now.
"You're still shaking," he said quietly.
"I'm not," she snapped, even though her fingers trembled against her scrubs.
His hand moved—slow, intentional—and he gently closed his fingers around hers. Warm, steady. A tether.
Aria froze, breath catching. She didn't pull away.
"Adrenaline crash," he murmured. "It hits harder after you've been scared."
"Who says I was scared?"
He turned her hand over in his palm, his thumb brushing a soft arc across her pulse.
"You don't hide fear well," he said. "But you fight through it. That's the difference."
Something in her chest tightened— confusion, attraction—she wasn't sure.
She swallowed. "You can let go now."
"I know," he answered. "If I wanted to."
Her breath stumbled. God, why did he talk like that? Why did it feel like something electric snapped between them every time he opened his mouth?
The SUV slowed as they reached a more secluded road leading toward the outskirts of the city. Caspian leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"That attack wasn't random. They were there for you."
Aria's heart dropped. "Because of you."
Caspian didn't deny it.
He didn't apologize either.
"You're a target now," he said. "Whether you like it or not, your life intersects with mine."
Her throat pulled. She wanted to hate him for dragging her into this danger. But the memory of the man with the gun, the cold eyes, still had her lungs locked.
She whispered, "Why do you care so much?"
A muscle in his jaw flexed. He looked away for the first time tonight, staring at the darkness beyond the window.
"You remind me," he said finally, "of someone I couldn't protect."
Isabella.
His sister.
Her chest softened. She didn't know the whole story yet—but she felt the ache in his voice.
She didn't realize she'd leaned closer until she felt the heat from his shoulder.
He angled his face toward hers, their breaths mingling, the space between them dangerously thin.
"Aria," he said softly, warningly—as if he wasn't sure he could keep himself from closing the distance.
Her pulse hammered.
Then the SUV jerked to a stop.
Geoffrey opened the door. "We're here."
Caspian's hand slipped from hers, but his eyes stayed locked on her until she stepped out.
His gaze said everything he didn't:
I will burn the world to keep you alive.
And she hated how much… she didn't want him to stop.